Heart & Lung

The Freeman Hospital’s Cardiopulmonary Transplant Service was established over 20 years ago. We performed our first heart transplant in 1985 and our first lung transplant in 1987. We have since performed almost 800 heart transplants, including over 140 in children, and over 600 lung or heart and lung transplants.

Over the last 3 years we have performed more cardiopulmonary transplants than anywhere else in the UK and we are widely regarded as the premier lung transplant service in the country.

Pioneering transplant surgery in the UK

Over the last 20 years we have pioneered the development of double lung and non-heart beating lung transplant surgery in the UK, and we performed:

the 1st successful infant heart transplant in the UK in 1987

the 1st single lung transplant in Europe in 1987

the 1st double lung transplant in Europe in 1990

the 1st non-heart beating lung transplant in the UK in 2002

Since 2003 we have developed a mechanical heart service for both children and adults, as a bridge for transplant until a suitable donor heart is available or as a bridge to recovery in suitable patients.